


Pitch Perfect Touch

by littlesolo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pitch Perfect (2012), Touch (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-25 12:30:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 20,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2621825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesolo/pseuds/littlesolo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca takes in her stepbrother Jake Bohm. What does he and his gift mean for Beca and Chloe? Bechloe. Other Bellas will make appearances.  </p><p>I'm working on finishing it, but first I have to find a way out of the corner I boxed myself into. WIP</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

 

 

It had all started with a phone call. Chloe and Beca had been enjoying their Saturday in their LA house when Beca's cell had started to ring. Beca's mom and stepfather had been in a car accident and had been killed. Next thing Chloe knew, she and Beca were making a road trip back to Atlanta. Apparently, Beca had a step brother named Jake. Chloe had listened intently as Beca explained that Jake was what some would call an autistic mute. Jake communicated through numbers that he wrote and occasionally, telepathically.

To Beca's surprise, Chloe didn't find that weird. On second thought though, knowing her girlfriend as she did, she really shouldn't have expected anything else. The trip had started three days ago. Chloe had simply packed their things in the car and plotted their course. Beca still couldn't believe Chloe was real some days, much less her girlfriend.

* * *

As she pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine, Beca let out a long breath and turned towards Chloe.

"This is going to be different from what you may be used to. Jake's not like other kids. He doesn't like it when people touch him and doesn't talk, like at all." Chloe put her hand on her knee and squeezed. "I understand. You've explained it probably better than you think. I'm just here for whatever you two need. If you need a hug, I've got those. If he needs new notebooks and pencils of colors galore, I'll raid an Office Depot." Beca let out a laugh and ran a hand through her hair. "It just this suddenly got very real. I mean, can I take care of and raise a kid with, for lack of a better term, special needs?"

"We."  
"What?" Beca turned towards Chloe, having been pulled from her thoughts.

"Can we. And I think we can. I mean it's not like we're starting from scratch, you helped raise him. He knows you and you know his patterns. I can learn them when you teach them to me, because I don't plan on going anywhere."

Beca wiped a few stray tears from her eyes as Chloe gave her a quick kiss.

"Also, the no touching and not speaking thing explains why you two probably get along so well" commented Chloe as she got out of the car.

"Shut up."

 


	2. Chapter 2

A family friend had been looking after Jake for past few days but as thankful as Beca was, she was glad to be

rid of her. Few people believed in Jake's gift, and seemed to think that speaking slowly and loudly at him would help him understand. That was on the rare occasion that people decided to talk to him and not about him. This was how Beca was sure they were related. She knew Jake understood more than most people and if the person wasn't stupid, an asshole, or both, he'd talk to you in his own way when he felt like it. So as far as Beca was concerned, everyone else could just fuck off.

Chloe had asked at one point during the trip if Beca thought she should call her dad.

"As well intentioned as he is, he just doesn't get Jake. I mean he had a hard enough time connecting with me and I do talk. Then there's the fact that he's a comparative literature professor" added Beca with a smirk, "numbers aren't really his thing."

"Okay. I can see that. But at some point in his life he loved your mom. He should probably know that she died." Chloe had been keeping a hand on Beca the entire trip, sometimes on her thigh, sometimes on her knee. The constant contact helped hold Beca together, especially when the realization hit her like a truck. So in the middle of New Mexico, Beca turned into a small truck rest stop, curled into Chloe's side and cried.

Chloe simply held on, Beca's soul wrenching sobs making them both shake. Chloe had lost her parents early on and had been put into a group foster home. The foster parents had been awful, but the other kids had been great and they had created their own new family, the Lost Boys. Still, she couldn't imagine the pain Beca was going through. So, Chloe held on and stuck with what she knew. Social workers and other adults had taught her the power of words. It's why she went out of her way to compliment people and make them feel better about themselves. It's also how she knew better than to promise that everything would be okay. When Beca's sobs gradually subsided, Chloe whispered, "We're going to figure this out together."

Beca nodded and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She squeezed Chloe's hand and got out of the car. Chloe got out and leaned against the car, stretching her legs, as she watched Beca walk a few paces away and break the news to her dad.

* * *

When Chloe first saw Jake she had a giggle fit.

She couldn't help it. Beca who was crouched down next to Jake, looked at her as if she were crazy. "I'm sorry! It's just- He looks just like you!" This was said in between giggles, along with other things Beca couldn't catch, despite Chloe's rapid hand gesturing. Beca cocked an eyebrow and cast a sideways glance at Jake who was looking back at her. The only explanation she could offer him was a shrug, and sat down next to him to wait out Chloe's giggles. "In case you're wondering, the deranged giggler is my girlfriend. I'd say she's not normally like this, but that's not exactly true."

Much like with Beca, one would have to be looking closely to see the small smile on Jake's face. Finally, Chloe managed to get herself under control.

"So, how do we look alike? I mean for starters, his eyes are green and his hair is curly." Chloe made herself comfortable on the couch. "Your hair is he same shade and you both do that slouchy thing. Plus, when we came in here and he was concentrating, you get that same intense look when you're working on a new mix." Chloe finished her list with a firm nod.

"You're holding something back."  
"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"What is it?" Jake looked back and forth between the two, enjoying their easy banter. "This paranoia is probably because you're still tired from all the driving..."  
"Chloe!"  
Chloe let out a sigh and the a wide smile spread across her face that made Beca nervous. "Seeing you two right next to each other, you both just look _SO ADORABLE!_ "

Jake's smile got a bit bigger and his eyes crinkled at the sides when Chloe gave him a wink as Beca groaned and let her head fall into her hands.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Beca and Chloe spent the afternoon loading the Jetta with all of Jake's boxes. When Chloe asked if Jake had known she was coming, Beca had merely shrugged. "Jake's got his own way of seeing things. Sometimes he sees them before they happen."

The question of whether or not Jake had foreseen his parents death had crossed Beca's mind more than once but she decided not to bring it up unless Jake did.

* * *

 

The next morning, while Chloe went out to get them breakfast, Beca took some time to talk to Jake.

"Jake, I know a lot has been going on lately, but from now on I'm going to be taking care of you. You'll be living with me and Chloe. I don't have everything worked out yet, but we will. Or at least, Chloe says so." Jake continued writing numbers in his notebook, like he always did.

"What are today's numbers?" Beca looked over Jakes shoulder to see what he was writing.

"07222013. Hey, that's Chloe's birthday... Chloe's birthday! It was yesterday... Shit!" Beca began to pace. "Sorry Jake. Oh, whatever. You're used to me cursing by now." Beca's pacing was interrupted by Chloe returning, her arms loaded with bags.

"Okay, so I have three bacon and egg muffin things and some hot cakes because I couldn't resist coming back and telling you that I got you some hot cakes. Oh, and for Jake I got-"

"What the hell is _that_ " cried Beca, gesturing towards the yellow... thing in Chloe's hand. Chloe briefly showed it to Beca, careful to keep it out of her reach, before she cut off the tags. "It's an Ugly Doll."

"That sounds accurate." Chloe ignored Beca's comment as she set it on the counter and unpacked their meals. "That one is called a Nandy Bear."

"You mean there are more of these things? Like collectibles?"  
"Anyway, I figured Jake could use a cuddle buddy or at least a road trip buddy."

"Were all the bears out of stock?"

Chloe rolled her eyes and started in on her meal. "Jake, you do whatever you want with it but don't let Beca hug it."

Beca cocked an eyebrow over her hot cake. "It gives magic hugs?" Chloe let out a disappointed sigh. "All hugs are magic Becs, you should know that by now. I also picked him because of his shape. I figured Stacie or Fat Amy could attach a pocket to his back so he could hold one of Jake's notebooks."

To everyone's surprise, Fat Amy and Stacie had gone into business together after Barden. They now co- owned a custom clothing shop. It was less of a surprise that they supplied clothes to some of the hottest looking drag queens in LA.

After breakfast, they hit the road, the Nandy Bear tucked under Jake's arm with his notebook.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The trip back to LA tested the waters as to how the three of the them would get along together. To Beca's surprise, things went rather smoothly. For someone who loved human contact as much as Chloe, she didn't try to push the issue with Jake. She found other ways to show her affection. Chloe had noticed something off about Jake and had decided that they needed to stop at Wal-Mart for some clothes. Beca had argued at first but had given in. She had off for something else and met Chloe and Jake back at the car. Jake did seem more relaxed and comfortable in his new clothes, but there was something else new.

"You got him an iphone?"

"First of all, he can now listen to all your amazing mixes anytime he wants. Second, now he can contact us at anytime or find us whenever we are." As Beca thought that through, she realized it was actually a good idea. They'd had the money discussion before and apparently, despite being an orphan, Chloe was sufficiently wealthy, having "invested wisely" early on.

* * *

Later, in their double hotel room, Beca revealed the three cupcakes she had bought to celebrate Chloe's belated birthday. Chloe had protested, saying that with everything going on, she had forgotten as well. Beca had rolled her eyes and told her blow out the candle before the flimsy hotel caught fire. Beca knew that while Chloe herself might have forgotten, the other Bellas wouldn't have and Aubrey probably knew it as well as her own. Chloe's cell had been on vibrate or silent for most of the trip but Beca didn't doubt that her voicemail, Facebook, and messenger were full of birthday well wishes.

Letting Jake fall asleep, Chloe and Beca sat out in the cheap chairs in front of their hotel room, relaxing in the cool night air.

"Sadly, the cupcake is all I have for you at the moment. I don't have a present yet." Beca couldn't bring herself to look Chloe in the eye. Not only had she drawn Chloe into a life that was more than she had anticipated when the relationship began, but she had forgotten something as basic as a birthday. That wasn't even being a bad girlfriend, that was just being a bad friend.

Chloe reached over and squeezed her hand. "Beca, you gave me the best gift. You made me part of your family with Jake. It wasn't even really a question, I just...was."

"What it was was awfully presumptuous of me."

"It's very sweet." Chloe let out a giggle and then a long sigh as she leaned back in her chair.

"You already know that after my parents died, I was put in a group foster home. The parents saw us as pay checks, but I made a family with the other kids there. I had wanted to take dancing classes and there was a company that had given a few lessons away for free and then signing kids up to continue. I was begging my foster dad to let me. He slapped me across the face and said that the money he got from the state was the only thing that made it worth putting up with me and that I had better stop crying or I'd get another slap. The next thing I knew, these two big Marines had him pinned against the wall. They made him not only pay for the classes, but apologize to me and promise to never lay another hand on us ever again. That didn't mean they took better care of us, but they never hit us again. That's how I met Skylar and Jane. The other kids and I also were allowed to spend the night with Skylar or at Jane's sometimes. We made our motto the same as Kevin's: family above all. Through them, I would meet Aubrey. Her dad played poker and went fishing with Skylar's guardian, Gibbs. Then, I met you and the other Bellas. Skylar and Jane and the other orphans are a group I call the Lost Boys and then you have the Bellas. If someone from either group asked for my help, I'd be there in a minute and vice versa, that's just what family does. But you, you have a history with Jake. And it's complicated and will be difficult. You could have decided that the last thing you needed was an outsider, who despite all her special education training, you didn't want to start from square one with. Instead, you included me. Everyone else has in the past too, but the fact that you included me means more because you had every reason not to. I've thought about it some, and you know I already privately tutor Skylar's daughter Zoe and that she's gifted with numbers. I could tutor Jake with her. Or work something else out, whatever. I called Denise, Jessica, and Cynthia Rose and they're going to empty out our guest room and Lilly is going to help CR put together a bunk bed while the others move in a dresser and desk. We can paint it and decorate it anyway he wants when we get there and rest up a bit." Beca just stared at her, and to be honest, it was making Chloe nervous. Maybe she'd gone a bit overboard. She was worriedly chewing on her lip when Beca launch herself at her and engulfed her in a hug. To say she was surprised was an understatement.

"For the past few days, all I could think about was how could I possibly make all this work. I completely forgot that you teach kids like Jake. I couldn't imagine doing all this without you, even if you didn't have all the answers." Beca nuzzled closer into Chloe's neck. "I love you so much." Chloe kissed her head. "I love you too. Now lets get some sleep. I'll drive first shift tomorrow."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe was at the wheel and driving them through New Mexico, when Jake thrust his notebook up between the seats. Pulling off into a rest stop, Chloe gently nudged Beca awake. Beca had been settling things back at Jake's all morning. Her stepfather's family was handling the funerals and, thankfully, had no problem with Beca taking Jake once she explained that she already had a bedroom for him and a teacher that could meet his individual needs. "Hmm? Where are we" yawned Beca as she stretched her arms behind her head.  
"We're still in New Mexico, but it looks like Jake has something to tell us. Also, I thought we could all use a pee break." Beca and Chloe both turned to look at Jake as Beca took his notebook. Jake turned to look out the window at the sky while his sister tried to make sense of the numbers.

"1001-08405-04915-495. Well, the last three numbers are Jake's house back in Atlanta. Jake, please tell me we don't have to drive all the way back." Jake said nothing but pulled out his iphone and climbed out of the car. Chloe and Beca followed close behind and watched as Jake took a picture of a road sign. He then handed the phone to Beca and made his way back to the car. Chloe rested her chin on Beca's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her waist as she looked at the phone with Beca. "Puente Antiguo. That's about thirty miles from here. You up for a pit stop for the night?" Beca tilted her head back, relieved to see Chloe's usual smile. "Sure, road trips are all about the stops."

"I think I'll use the bathroom while we're here. Do you know if Jake has to go?"  
"I don't know, but I do!" Beca watched as Chloe all but sprinted across the parking lot.

Once back in the car, Chloe started the car as Beca buckled herself in. "Remember Chloe, we're stoping for Jake."  
"I know."  
"If the World's Biggest Ball of Twine is there, we are not stopping."

"Don't be silly, that's in Ohio."  
"WHY do you know that? How- never mind."  
"What about the World's Largest Fork? If it's here, you know we have to get a t-shirt for Fat Amy. You don't have to, but Jake and I are totally getting a picture in front of it by the way."

* * *

In the small town of Puente Antiguo, 1001 happened to be the address of an old radio station that now seemed to function as a research center. Jake had immediately gotten out of the car and started towards the building. Beca became more hesitant when she noticed the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on a parked vehicle. "Chloe, I'm not sure we're supposed to be here-"  
"Jake seems to, and it can't hurt to ask if the numbers mean anything. For all we know, they are the number of jellybeans in a jar that we now have won." With that, she entwined her fingers with Beca's and followed Jake to the door where he'd been stopped by a woman with glasses.  
"Hey kid, don't let the dust fool you. The S.H.I.E.L.D. logo means you have to be a scientist or a special agent to get on this ride." Chloe gave a small wave and her usual dazzling smile. It wouldn't surprise Beca at all if Chloe was able to get them in. Virtually no one was able to resist Chloe's charm. "Hi. That's Jake and this is his sister Beca. I'm-"  
"Chloe?!" From behind the first woman, came another who was followed by a man. Beca then saw something she thought she'd never see: Chloe in a state of stunned silence.  
"Jane? What are you doing here?" Suddenly, something clicked in Beca's mind. Jane Foster. An astro- physicist that had come up in one of her science lectures. The other part she remembered was that she discovered the bridge that let Thor get home? Something like that...it was an 8am class. Wait, the Jane that knew Thor was the Jane Chloe grew up with? Given the high pitched squeal that left her ears ringing and the fact that Jane was now in one of Chloe's lovingly-suffocating hugs, all signs would point to yes.  
"Beca, this is my friend Jane." Jane shook Beca's hand and motioned towards the other two people. "That's Darcy and that's Clint."  
"Welcome to our science abode! Where, while Dr. Selvig is away, the mice will...compile data since this is really Jane's project" greeted Darcy, as she spun, gesturing around her.  
"I thought you were making a castle out of pop tarts" asked Clint as he leaned back in the door frame. "Scientifically so" reassured Darcy at Jane's raised eyebrow. Jake suddenly walked up and pointed to Jane's badge that was clipped to her hip.  
"Um, hi. You can hold that for a moment if you want." Once she unclipped it and handed it to Jake, he pulled out his notebook and walked over to one of the open laptops. The screen seemed to be tracking some sort of wave currents. As Jake typed in the next set of his numbers, Chloe noticed Clint edge forward. Despite his laid back demeanor, here was no hiding his muscles, even under the baggy hoodie he was wearing. "Are you here to protect Jane and Darcy?" This got a loud snort from Darcy and a smirk from Jane. "It's more like, I'm here to protect the world from Jane and Darcy." That made Beca's head snap up and she turned to look at Clint. "How so?"

"As awesome an ally as Thor is, the last time Jane and Darcy discovered something, it resulted in a large crater and part of this town being leveled. Or at least that's how some people see it" Clint explained with a shrug. A beeping from the computer brought everyone's attention back to Jake at the laptop.

"Dude, that's kinda like what we used to track here". Darcy adjusted her glasses and pulled up the old charts on a different computer. "I'll backtrack this a bit and see you guys in the morning."  
"It looks like it's in Maine. Storybrooke, Maine" commented Jane. She the turned to look at Jake's notebook. Beca shifted on her feet. The last thing she needed was S.H.I.E.L.D. taking an interest in Jake. "Uh, my brother has a thing for numbers..." Jane gave her a gentle smile that made Beca calm down. "I've seen something like it before actually. Doesn't it look a bit familiar Chloe?"

Beca's eyes immediately went to Chloe's face, shocked that she'd keep something like this from her. Chloe, however, looked thoroughly confused.  
"Huh? What do you mean?" Jane pointed towards the numbers in Jake's book. "The patterns he makes with numbers. We've seen patterns like these with-"

"ZOE! HER PICTURES! With all the lines and shapes and colors! She probably converts the numbers into an algorithm and turns them into pictures!" Jane then squatted down next to Jake. "Well, Jake. It looks like I might be heading to Maine for a visit but I hope to meet you again. For now though, why don't I buy you, your sister, and Chloe dinner?" Jake gave a small smile and handed back her badge.

Suddenly, Beca's cell began to ring. Chloe watched as Beca walked outside to take the call. "I was just talking about you to Kevin the other day." Chloe turned back to face Jane. Skylar and Jane had been together for as long she could remember, first as best friends then as a couple. Both were like big sisters to her. "Kevin was saying that Sharon was looking forward to your next skype session because she has these songs she can't remember he title of or all the lyrics to and she knows that 'Chloe would totally know them' and it's driving him crazy". Chloe laughed. Kevin's sister was just a big a handful as her brother. The door opened again to reveal a shaky looking Beca. Jane and Chloe made their way towards her and helped her sit down. Chloe wasn't sure what to do, Beca seemed to be in shock.

"Beca? Beca, sweetie, take a deep breath and tell me what happened." Beca did as she was asked and then took a drink from the glass of water that Jane handed her. "It was Ashley, from back at our house in LA" she explained for Jake and Jane's benefit. "She said that Jake's grandparents had called a few times. I had my phone on silent. I just turned on the ringer again when we got here." Beca shook her head clear and squeezed Chloe's hand and vaguely noticed Jake taking a seat next to her. "So I called them back. Apparently, Jake's house was trashed and then set on fire. There's nothing left."

"Oh God, Beca. I'm so sorry. I know that you and Jake still had a lot of stuff there. Photos and memories and things." Chloe then noticed that Jane and Beca were looking at Jake, who was just starting to rock in place. "Jake? Jake, listen to me. We're fine, okay. So are Grandma and Grandpa." Jane turned towards Clint. "Can you call Skylar, just in case?" He gave a quick nod and walked away. Jane then pulled out her phone and turned towards Chloe. "Aubrey is still working for Skylar's sister at Parson's and Associates, right? Have her discretely find out what she can involving Jake. I'll call Kevin and see what he can find out through other channels." Chloe nodded and speed dialed the ex-Bella captain. Beca turned towards Jane, a question ready on her lips but Jane beat her to it. "It looks like someone was keeping tabs on Jake. We'll do our best to find out who." Jane then reached out and squeezed Beca's shoulder saying "family above all" before leaving to make her call. Beca sat in shock, all but numb due to how fast things were happening. She was brought back from her thoughts at the feeling of Jake slipping his hand into hers. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, she whispered, "I guess we just became part of Chloe's family".

 


	6. Chapter 6

They had gone through Arizona faster than the Looney Tunes Road Runner. Chloe had downloaded an app called The Nero Wolfe Radio Mysteries, which Jake seemed to love, since the minute one ended he would switch to the next. The mysteries took place in the 1950's and involved a detective who never left his home, and his assistant who did all the leg work. Chloe mentioned that Skylar had originally gotten her into the books and the the tv show, and that something about Jake told her he'd like them too.

Kevin had called at one point. He used to be a paramedic but now, like Sklyar and a handful of her friends, were S.H.I.E.L.D. "consultants" that were called in every so often for help. Apparently, he'd found a death certificate that had Jake dying in a car accident, except the date was missing. Aubrey had called 45 minutes later, having found the same document, but unable to explain how she'd come across it.

"So, was Jake supposed to die in the car accident and we just screwed up everybody's plans?" Beca was trying to make sense of everything but all she kept coming up with were more questions and no answers. "Look, we're driving and making frequent stops" reasoned Chloe. "It'll be harder for someone to track us this way. We're like Thelma and Louise!" Chloe scrunched up her face at a realization as Jake looked up at them through the rearview mirror and Beca gave her a look. "We just have a totally different ending. We drive happily into the sunset. All three of us. _THAT'S IT!_ " Beca jumped at Chloe's sudden volume and turned to check on Jake who seemed unfazed. "We're like Charlie's Angel's and Jake is totally Charlie."

"I wouldn't entrust the world's safety to us."  
"Hmm. Well. Fine. I'll think of something else but we're the good guys and we win. So there."

* * *

"Turn it to the left. The left! The _other_ left!"  
Beca, Chloe, and Jake entered their house to the sound of Bella commotion coming from Jake's new room. Lilly was the first to notice and whispered something that had all the others turning their heads. "Hey! You're back! And we just finished" stated Denise with a smile.  
"Wait, just finished?"  
"Yeah, when we moved some of the stuff out Lilly noticed something wrong with the drywall" began Stacie. Jessica and Ashley helped Cynthia Rose move the bunk bed into place before gesturing towards the opposite wall. "Yeah, so Lilly pulls out some spackle, a putty knife, and a utility knife outta no where and goes all kung fu on the wall. So we gave her the room, and the day. For safety. But it looks awesome" finished Fat Amy with a shrug. From the corner Lilly gave a smile from beneath her bangs.  
"Well, you guys this is Jake."  
"Rainman" cried Fat Amy, which got her a shove from Denise.  
"Anyway..." continued Beca, drawing their attention back to her. "He doesn't talk and doesn't like to be touched. He has a thing for numbers, but really he just likes to do his own thing."  
"So, the little man is like you when we first met you" stated Cynthia Rose. Chloe nodded.  
"What? No" sputtered Beca. Lilly squatted down in front of Jake and then faced the other Bellas, giving them all a mock glare while whispering something. "Hey, she's right! Jake doesn't glare at everybody" noted Jessica. Fat Amy snapped her fingers "That's what's missing! Otherwise you can totally tell that they're kin." From the front of the house, the doorbell rang.  
"I got it" yelled Chloe. "I ordered pizzas and sodas for our welcome home party."  
"And to thank you guys for all helping us out" added Beca. The group had shuffled out to the small living room while Jake set some of his things out.

Later that night all the Bellas were in deep discussion over Jake, who was sitting between Chloe and Beca. "So, if we're all Bellas, what does that make Jake" asked Stacie. Jake looked on as he drank his soda.  
"Well, he's definitely not a Treble" state Ashley and Denise nodded in agreement.  
"He's not a mascot because that's just mean" added Jessica. At that moment Jake let out a huge burp. For a moment everybody stared at him before bursting into laughter. A tentative smile crept onto Jake's face as Fat Amy told him he had "crushed it".

"I guess that settles it" stated Cynthia Rose "he is a Bella Fellow."  
"A Bello" affirmed Chloe with a nod. Beca could help but feel at home. It looked like things were starting to look up.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Beca couldn't tell who was more excited, Jake at unpacking his room, or Chloe at seeing all his belongings. "Oooh! Look at this lamp! It's awesome, all it's little led fronds. And these sheets have the coolest patterns!" Beca watched Chloe hand each item to Jake, who placed them where he wanted them to go. It was the little things like this that made Beca love Chloe all the more. Most people were put off by Jake, but Chloe, in her natural way of making everyone feel good about themselves, let Jake do whatever he needed to be comfortable.

"Okay you two, I'm off to the grocery to get us restocked. Remember, Jesse is coming over to drop some work stuff off". Beca and Jesse had kept and touch and until he got a contract with a studio and further along with his movie score dream, he helped Beca at her small music production company. At the moment, Beca's mixes were played at some of LA's hottest clubs and she did a radio broadcast three times a week for two hours from her laptop for a local station. Jesse helped her keep everything coordinated, delivered her mixes to clubs, and dropped off the mixes of young hopefuls for her to go through. It was had allowed her to take the time she needed to get Jake. Despite his efforts to make her "normal" Beca was still glad he was her friend.

* * *

Chloe sat down on the bed next to Jake and looked around his new room. "I know that you have a lot of awesome lamps already, but do want to put stars on your ceiling? Not like stickers, they have these projector lamps. In fact, Jane gave me one for my dorm, I didn't use it much because my first roommate said it kept her awake, but you can have it if you'd like. It will project a section of the night sky onto the ceiling based on coordinates you give it. She said that way, even in my dorm, I could feel like I was still looking at the stars back home with them". She looked over to see a small smile on Jake's face. There were a lot of things that Chloe had questions about. Like the box of Jake's that was full of gears that had numbers and letters written on them but looked like the inside of a music box. If looks alone were anything to go by, Jake was going to be just as interesting as his sister.

* * *

Chloe was going through Jake's school files when the doorbell rang. Jesse wasn't high on Chloe's list of favorite people. He was like a big brother to Beca so his heart was in the right place, but like her Dad, he seemed to think he was a better judge of what was best for her sometimes. She spotted Jake in living room with his notebook and gave him a wink on her way to answer the door.

"Hey, Jesse".  
Jesse came in with his usual charming smile and wave. "So, this must be the new guy I've been hearing about!" Chloe did her best, but Jesse still saw her cringe at his volume and how close he knelt next to Jake. Jake was stuck between the sofa, the coffee table and the wall, with Jesse blocking his escape.  
"Well, I'm Jesse and I'm guessing you must be Jake". Chloe supposed that some people might find Jesse adorable, but Chloe found herself mentally rolling her eyes and taking a seat in a nearby chair. Jesse peered at Jake's notebook before turning towards Chloe. "So, have you two looked at boarding facilities for the fall?" Chloe nearly gave herself whiplash turning her head.

"What?"

"For the school year. To meet his...special needs."  
"He's staying with us-"  
"For the summer, I get that." Chloe took a deep breath and restrained herself from hitting Jesse since she could feel Jake's eyes on her.  
"No, I'll be teaching him along with my other students." Jesse let out long sigh. "Chloe, I know that you're a Special Education teacher, but Beca might have told me a little more about Jake than she did you, not wanting to overwhelm you." Chloe blinked. Twice.  
"Bullshit. I know _exactly_ what she told you. She called you while she was sitting next to me on our cross country trip to _get_ Jake. Now, I think you should just leave whatever it was you were supposed to for Beca and go."  
"Actually, I was hoping to wait around to talk to her about-"  
"Some other time." Jesse got up and shook his head. "Look, Chloe, I don't see why you're being like this. I'm just trying to approach this logically, and I think this is way more than the both of you can handle. And that worries me because I care about the both of you!" Looking in Chloe's eyes, Jesse knew he'd said something wrong. Her voice remained passive, but her eyes were absolutely frigid. "This? There is no this. There is Beca's brot-"  
"Stepbrother".  
" _BROTHER_ named Jake. These days everything from ADHD to Down Syndrome is labeled special needs and they are all handled." Chloe made her way to the door and opened it for Jesse to leave through. "Let me put this in terms I know you'll understand. Jake is more _A Beautiful Mind_ than _Forest Gump_ , but that doesn't even matter because both movies had happy endings". She slammed the door after him and sank down on the couch next to Jake. Jake handed Chloe his Nandy Bear. He watched as she hugged it and wiped away her tears while mumbling "thanks Sweetie". Jake found Chloe to be a puzzle that he wasn't sure his numbers could solve. He wasn't sure he wanted them to. Never had a near stranger defended him like that. While the man's words didn't hurt Jake, they did Chloe on his behalf. She sniffed and turned to him. "Screw what he thinks. You still up for Bellas night at the Carnival?" Jake nodded. He couldn't wait.

* * *

Beca was beyond pissed when Chloe told her about Jesse's visit. She could tell that Chloe was trying to make light of things, due to her sibling like relationship with Jesse, but the fact that she needed to, told Beca how much it had gotten to Chloe. Beca had just started to get her footing back, and here was Jesse, making all her lingering worries come back and the floor seem to give way again. She didn't really feel like going out anymore, and nearly called the whole Bella night off.

"It's for Jake though" pleaded Chloe.  
"For a kid that doesn't like to be touched, do you think being on a ride with twenty other people is the best place?" It had come out sharper than Beca had intended. She shook her head, frustrated at the turn everything had taken, but felt herself relax at the kiss Chloe gave her before enveloping her in a hug.  
"Think about it. Even on a roller coaster, Jake would only have to sit next to one person, maybe two. Those can be Bellas. The games are usually one or two person, or if it's more, we're more than enough Bellas to qualify as a group. We can handle this. Jake's a kid who likes to do kid things, and sometimes the way we go about them will have to be a little different. But, name one kid thing that either I or Fat Amy wouldn't be up for". For the life of her, Beca couldn't think of one. The decision was really made for them when they were supposed to leave at four, Jake simply walked out the front door and got in the car.

* * *

The carnival had been a great idea. It was a mixture of old fashioned and newer rides. Jake had gone on one coaster with Stacie and Jessica, another one with Ashley and Denise, the Dead Drop with Fat Amy and

Cynthia Rose, and had won an assortment of prizes at games of skill with Lilly. At the moment they were all on the Carousel, with Beca watching from the side taking pictures. It had been so long since she'd seen Jake this happy and she wanted to capture it all. Although, she wasn't sure what Fat Amy was doing to that zebra she was on, but she pitied the poor beast. It didn't stop her taking the photo though.

"Hey..."  
Beca slowly lowered the camera from her eye. "I'm not talking to you Jesse. No, wait. How did you even know we'd be here?"  
"I told Denise I forgot where we were all meeting". Clearly, even Jesse was ashamed of the deception because he couldn't look her in the eye. "You're not exactly making a better case for yourself."  
"I know. I just... I'm trying to look out for you!"  
"And Chloe's not?"  
"Chloe has a new student who happens to be her girlfriend's stepbrother. She might be trying to impress you, but she's not qualified to handle someone like Jake! I've talked to your Dad and he agrees that-".  
"You _what_? Where do you get off talking to my Dad? And Chloe didn't have extra years of college to study flower arranging! This is her field! She specializes in kids like Jake!"  
At this point, the other Bellas had gotten off the ride and were making their way through the crowds over to Beca and Jesse. As they got closer, the crowd seemed to vanish, everyone having already gotten off the ride. "Look, I'm just trying to look out for my family here. If our lives are all going to have to change because we try to unrealistically meet the needs of some kid, why do we have to wait until everything is wrecked until he's helped by qualified people? I'm just being realistic! I mean what does Chloe know about family? She doesn't really even have one!"  
The sound of Beca's slap seemed to echo across the carnival. Chloe was crouched next to Jake who was rocking back and forth, his knees clutched to his chest. The other Bellas had backed up, giving him plenty of room, but staying close in case Beca needed them. Beca closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths,nnot even feeling the throbbing in her hand. When Jessica and Stacie had talked about wanting to kill their brothers, Beca had assumed they were kidding. Just a phrase people use. She certainly understood the sentiment now.  
" _We_ are not family Jesse. You became friends with my Dad when we were dating. I have said that I have felt that you're like a brother to me. **_JAKE_** is my actual brother. As far as I'm concerned, there is no 'step' part to it. Chloe _does_ have a family. She has me and Jake. She also has the Bellas. We are all in addition to her other family. As for us being able to meet Jake's needs? Yeah, somethings will change but not as much as you might think. For example, before you got here, we were all having an awesome time here at the carnival. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to all go ride the ferris wheel and then call it a night." With that, Beca and the others left a stunned Jesse behind.

At the line for the ferris wheel, Fat Amy gave Beca a nudge. "Just so you know, the rest of us consider you guys family too. You too Jake. Also, I _totally_ would have slow clapped you out but Ashley and Cynthia Rose were holding my hands apart". Beca turned to meet the smiles of the rest of the Bellas as she squeezed Chloe and Jake's hands.

* * *

It had taken three trips to unload Jake and all his prizes from the car. Beca knew that Jesse genuinely saw what he was doing as looking out for her.  
She also knew that he had never gotten over that fact that she was in love with Chloe.  
Their breakup had been ugly to say the least. It had started with Beca breaking his heart because she couldn't see him as anything more than a sibling. It wasn't until a month and a half later that she admitted to herself that she had feelings for Chloe. Deep feelings. Chloe, was at a nearby teaching college, finishing her degree in Special Education. It had been at a Bellas get together that Beca had confessed her feelings about Chloe to the other Bellas, not knowing that Jesse had overheard. Benji has tried to keep Jesse from doing anything stupid and had gotten a broken nose for his trouble.

Chloe had found out about Beca's feelings for her when Jesse had started shouting at her in her campus parking lot the next day about having always wanted to take Beca from him. The end result was Benji and Stacie pounding on Beca's door at noon saying that both Chloe and Jesse were at the police station and that Jesse had been maced. It didn't help that Beca went only for Chloe, but his sad puppy look wasn't going to save him. Clearly, Chloe had felt threatened enough to use mace. It was by far the weirdest way she'd ever gone about asking someone on a date. Thankfully, Chloe had still said yes.

Laying in bed with Chloe curled around her, Beca couldn't help but think that was another reason she and Jesse wouldn't have worked. Even in his precious movie _The Breakfast Club_ , the characters needed to be helped or given a makeover. Like Jake needed specialized care. Thanks, but no thanks. Jake was fine. Beca had told him as much on top of the ferris wheel with Chloe and promised that she'd do everything she could to keep him where ever he wanted to be. Whenever Chloe said the word help, less forcible methods came to mind. Everything that had happened today was just changing what they usually did slightly. Jake was happy, he'd done what regular kids did, he even nearly made himself sick eating a hotdog and cotton candy, and soda before getting on a roller coaster. Chloe mumbled something in her sleep and pulled Beca closer. Taking the hint, Beca let herself fall asleep.

 


	8. Chapter 8

The sound of Beca mixing had Chloe peeking around the door frame of Beca's small office. What she found, had her racing to get the digital camera. Beca was mixing music as usual but with Jake seated in a chair next to her, mixing along with her. Their current mix of Starry Eyed and Titanium was coming along nicely. It was something they hadn't done since she'd left for college, and she'd forgotten how much fun they'd had. She looked up at the sound of the camera taking about a million pictures.

"What are you doing?"  
"Espionage" replied Chloe as sent two of her favorites to her phone. She then promptly sent those to the other Bellas. Chloe loved wireless technology. It made capturing memories so much easier, especially since it had taken Beca a while to get over being photo shy.  
"We used to do this all the time you know."  
"Oh?" Chloe came back in and sat on the small couch. She watched as Beca and Jake seamlessly moved their hands in synch, mixing without getting in each other's way.  
"With Jake's natural ability for numbers and patterns, he helped me refine my mixing abilities when I first got started. He'd have this little wince he'd get, yes you totally did, when I didn't lay the tracks down with the best beat timing and rhythm. I think that he magically then gave me that wince, since it's the one that you've pointed out to me." Neither one of them missed the smile creeping up Jake's face. The house phone ringing brought a stop to the fun in the room. Beca reached over and picked up the handset.  
"Hello? Yes, this is she. What? A Dr. Mitchell? I see. Yes, well later this week should be fine. Thank you." Chloe had watched Beca get up a begin to pace, noting the tenseness build in her shoulders. She was about to ask what was wrong, when the doorbell rang and Beca left to answer it. Yanking open the door, she flung the phone handset at Jesse who was standing there.  
" _Jeez_ , Beca! I'm here to apologize! You already hit me once!" Jesse was now holding his shoulder where he'd been hit with the phone.  
"I _DON'T_ want to hear it! Thanks to you and my Dad, we now have a social worker stopping by sometime this week to make sure we can take care of Jake!" Chloe, who had walked out with Jake, froze at the words social worker. She knew that having already been certified as a teacher, her background wouldn't be a problem, but she still felt like a six year old under their gaze.  
"This is a good thing Beca, if they say okay, it'll prove you were right!" Jesse put his arms in front of his face, trying to deflect Beca's furious blows which had her full weight behind them. "I shouldn't have to prove it! And if they say no, I doubt they'll put him in a place that is suited for him, or if I can ever get him back! All because you're an asshole who can't get it through his head that I'm with Chloe and not you!" Chloe went and tried to pull Beca off of Jesse. The whole situation would have been comical, had it not been for the blinding rage that Beca was in. Jessica and Denise made their way up the walk and ran up to help Chloe with Beca. As they got her loose, one of her legs got in a lucky swing and slammed into Jesse's nose, the wet crack making everyone wince. Beca was panting as Chloe held her around her waist from behind.

"Just so we're clear. Jake's group of supportive friends, is the Bellas and any friends he makes on his own. If they ask for a male role model, I'm giving them Benji's name. You will have nothing to do with him, unless he tells me otherwise."  
"Fine! Do whatever the fuck you want with your demented brother!" Jesse's shouting was muffled by the blood gushing flowing freely from his nose. Beca lunged, halted only by the hold her friends had on her. Benji came running up the drive at that moment. Taking in the scene in front of him, Beca being restrained and Jesse's nose, he cautiously made his way over towards the girls.

"Really, Benji? C'mon!"  
"Beca called for me to come over early this morning. I don't know what any of this is. I'm just here to see if I can help Jake."  
"What? Magic tricks make this guy a good role model?" The way he'd said magic tricks, with such distain, had felt like a blow towards Benji. Beca had calmed down a little in Chloe's hold. "No, the Jesse I used to know, the one who didn't make fun of Benji and never tried to change him, would have been a great role model. I don't know where this douche bag version of you came from, but I want him no where near my brother." Beca had nearly yelled herself hoarse, and was feeling exhausted from the whole ordeal. "If you can still do your job at the office, great. If not, let me know. I'm done dealing with you today." With that, Beca walked back inside, the others following after they were sure Jesse was gone. Chloe gave the others a run down of the phone call they'd gotten earlier and filled Benji in on how everything had gotten so out of hand. "I was already thinking that you'd be a good guy for Jake to be around. Not because you're a guy, but because... I don't know, youre easy to be around. If Jake just wants to write in his notebook, you're the type of person to just let him, unlike Jesse who might try and take it from him to get him to try something different. That would just end with Jake having a panic attack. But, with the social worker coming, there's more pressure so I understand if you're not up for it." Benji had been listening carefully. Personally, he was flattered to be asked. After the Trebles, Benji had gone back to being somewhat invisible. Jesse had become popular, and the two room mates had drifted apart. Benji then got a permanent job working for Beca, but also doing magic tricks for kids at the pier near Stacie and Fat Amy's shop on weekends. He had then started dating Jessica and spending more time with the Bellas.  
"I'd be glad to, if it's alright with Jake." It was at that point he noticed the head of curly brown hair peeking around the doorway. Benji gave a small wave and got a blink in response. That was okay though, it had taken him about fifteen tries to work up the courage to ask Jessica out on a date. They'd get to waving someday.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Beca wasn't sure there was anything else she could do. The house was spotless, the paper work was all in order, and all of Jake's documents with doctors and teachers were updated. The only thing that would make her totally relax would be having Jesse shipped out of state. The last thing she needed was a social worker witnessing one of his tantrums. She could she where he was coming from, she could. First, he felt he'd been replaced by Chloe in the romantic partner status. He had, but he'd become "best bro" and he was okay with that. The fact that the position was then filled by her actual brother, not to mention younger and recently orphaned brother, you'd think would make this title easier to give up. Then there was the position of role model, and he hadn't gotten that one either, it went to his best friend. As far as Beca was concerned, Jesse needed to grow up and pull he head out of his ass. She wasn't going to put up with his cold shoulder or his silent treatment at the studio anymore. Beca sighed as she gave up pacing and sat down, watching Jake and Chloe play chess while they waited for the social worker to show up. The thing was, Jesse was just an all around bad fit for Jake. As Fat Amy had explained, "Jake isn't Forest Gump, or Radio, or Gilbert Grape. Just like you're not Save the Last Dance, or Footloose. We like Jake and his numbers and patterns. We like you and your sick beats even when you have your Wensday Adams moody days. You guys don't fit his Academy Award winning soundtracked movie in his head, so he tries to make you." Beca knew she was right. So she didn't love movies, big deal. She and Chloe loved to watch a number of shows. American Horror Story and Game of Thrones were some of their favorites as well as Bomb Girls and obviously, Nero Wolfe. Jesse had made it seem as if not liking movies made her deficient as a human in some way. It was why Chloe fit her so well and to a certain extent why Benji worked so well with Jake. Jesse wanted to break down her walls before she felt ready. Chloe said it was more like she had earned the right to see a certain part of her that was usually hidden, that Beca trusted her with more of her. As she looked at Jake she couldn't help but wonder how he saw things. Chloe and Benji were making it clearer for her to see that under the complex patterns, was still an eleven year old boy. Despite the fact that he could see things most people couldn't, he still loved magic tricks and amusement parks and music. Jake enjoyed Benji's magic tricks, when he wasn't figuring out how they worked, he liked taking care of Benji's animals. Jessica, and Fat Amy had taken it upon themselves to name new additions to Benji's furry friends. So far, he had a rabbit named Knackered, a dove named Snow, and a hamster named Scamp. Fat Amy had wanted to name the dove Scat, since he had a tendency to poop on hecklers, but Jessica had deemed it too mean. They had settled on Snow, seeing as how he was the only one without fur made him the bastard of the family. Jessica had named the hamster due to his ability to find his way onto someone's (usually a Bella) shoulder and nuzzle, making himself right at home. Knackered seemed to like Jake best, letting Jake hold him or sit in his hoodie while he cleaned his hutch.

The problem was, now that she knew all of this about Jake, she was torn. If anything, this visit made her question how she was going to raise him. Half of her wanted to take him to do everything and anything he wanted. Experience things that people, herself included, had deemed him to sensitive or fragile for. The other half of her wanted to desperately hide him and keep him safe from whoever was searching for him, but she knew he'd spent too much of his life like that already.

Beca was wondering if she had time to change her shirt, having nearly pitted it out, when the doorbell rang.

 


	10. Chapter 10

To say that Ms. Shaw was a little unsettling, would be an understatement. Beca couldn't put her finger on it, but when she looked at Jake, she knew he felt it too. So far, the meeting had gone well, aside from three long pages of questions regarding her and Chloe's close relatives and friends and Chloe catching a phone call. Beca turned to locate her wandering girlfriend to see her come back from the kitchen. Jake had disappeared that way a few minutes ago.

"Everything okay Chlo?"  
"Peachy."  
Beca knew Chloe had a habit of using odd terms and phrases but despite her usual bright smile, she only used the word "peachy" when she thought everything had gone to shit.  
"Jake's just having a slight case of nerves, can we take a quick break?" Ms. Shaw smiled pleasantly and nodded. "Of course, go ahead. If you could just point me toward Jake's room?"

"Down the hall, on the left" replied Beca as she got up to follow Chloe.  
"What is going on?" whispered Beca, as soon as she was sure she was out of earshot.  
"The call was from Child and Family Services. Their social worker got a flat and they wanted to know if they could reschedule." Beca felt the air freeze in her lungs. She watched Chloe race silently down the back hall to Beca's office and get her work bags. She came out of her haze as Chloe tugged on her wrist, pulling her along. "Jake's already in the car." As they backed out of the drive, Beca saw the license plate of the imposter's car. _439229_. Those had been Jake's numbers for today. She also saw the petite Ms. Shaw dart out the front door, her piercing green eyes watching them escape.

* * *

Part of Beca was kicking herself for not noticing the numbers earlier. She knew, realistically, there was no way she could have known since she had met the woman at the door and not the driveway. Still, it bugged her. "Should have done something" Beca muttered.  
"We are doing something. We're running." Chloe glanced over at Beca and squeezed her hand. "I've got the beginnings of a plan. But in the meantime, can you check and make sure we're not being followed? I'm pretty sure but all my skills are learned from watching Daniel Craig as Bond." Beca gave her a weak smile and looked for any cars noticeably following them. Then she turned to Jake. "Not doing so hot at this 'big sister' gig, huh?" She turned to look at Chloe. Her once ginger girlfriend had let her hair go back to blond but it still was amazing. Despite all the stress, it seemed to just flow down Chloe's back in a loose ponytail, the rest lying delicately on her head, a few wisps having gotten free resting above her eyes. Beca was sure her hair was plastered to her head due to the sweat she'd already had going before the visit. The added danger didn't improve things and a comb would only make it look more stringy and less matted. Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off above Beca's head.

"Where the fuck are we going?"  
"Taco Bell."  
" _Excuse me_?"  
"We're meeting Skylar and Zoe there."  
"The mom of one of your other students?"  
"Skylar's like my adopted big sister. She's one of the Lost Boys."  
"Quick question: are there any boys in the Lost Boys? All I've met are you, Jane, and since Skylar is a mom, it doesn't sound like she's a boy either." Chloe let out a laugh.

"Yes there are. There's Griffin, Jason, Shiloh, Kevin, Landon, and Jono. Along with Andrea and Sharon and a handful of others."  
Beca smirked and rolled her eyes before turning serious again.  
"Before though, I mean, so far you've been doing all the heavy lifting. Not that I'm not grateful! I am! It's just... I'm feeling a bit useless I guess."

"Yeah well, my bad ass DJ can take a breather for a while. We'll figure things out once we calm down and get something to eat." She could hear Jake scrounging around for something in the backseat. Before she could turn around, something hit her on the side of her head. "What the hell? Jake!" She turned over the Taco Bell hot sauce packet to see the words _You Have Chosen Wisely_ printed on it. At Chloe's request she read it aloud, and despite the pout she wore through Chloe's giggling, she couldn't help but agree.

 


	11. Chapter 11

"You should really look into a twelve step for your taco problem" commented Chloe as she made her way to a table. There sat a woman a few years older than Chloe and a girl about Jake's age, both with matching brown hair and eyes. Jake immediately ran over and sat across from the girl, who pushed a few pieces of paper and colored pencils towards him. The smile the two of them shared seemed to show that were instant friends.

"I _had_ a problem. Past tense. It was solved by the Cool Ranch Taco. You must be Beca, the person responsible for making Chloe so unbelievably happy, it sometimes makes me want to throw up."

Beca sat down and returned a smirk as Chloe went to place their order, smacking Skylar's shoulder as she went.  
"Are you the leader of the group of misfits Chloe calls the Lost Boys?" Skylar scoffed, or attempted to a she swallowed a mouthful of taco. "First of all, we're not misfits. We're miscreants. Second, because of that, we can't really be led, but we try to...advise? Anyway, if one of the others needs help, they come to me, Jane, Jason, Griffin, or Neal." Beca nodded, taking it in as exactly what it seemed. If you were in trouble, you called on these five people and magically they'd help you out of your jam. It sounded just as much a fairytale as where the group got their name. She then mentally kicked herself, because as farfetched as it sounded, it was exactly what she was hoping they could do for Jake.

"So, how much has Chloe told you about me?"  
"She killed Mom's phone" answered the little girl.  
"Oh! Sorry! This is Zoe, my daughter. What she means is, Chloe called to talk about you, back before you had started dating-". The group shifted to make room for Chloe as she came back to the table with their meals. "Anyway, she talked about this badass DJ she was crushing on for so long that I just put it on speaker so I could work, I work at home. Eventually, my battery died, but not before she was done telling me everything. I emailed her to let her know I didn't just hang up, and she replied with a long message of things she had forgotten to mention." Skylar then went back to sipping her soda like nothing had happened but apparently something had, because when Beca turned to look at Chloe, her face was nearly as red as a spicy sauce packet and she seemed to be finding deep meaning in her taco. While Skylar was occupied with looking at Jake and Zoe's drawings, Beca gave Chloe's thigh a squeeze under the table, doing her best to convey with her eyes that Chloe had nothing to be embarrassed about. Chloe finally met her eyes and Beca fell in love with her even more at the sight of the bright blush that colored her cheeks. Chloe shrugged, "Aubrey wasn't exactly your biggest fan, and well... I had to tell someone about you..."  
Beca and Chloe turned back towards Skylar, to see her flipping pages in Jake's notebook, an odd look on her face.  
"Fidge? _Fidget_! What is it? What do you see?" Chloe reached over to shake Skylar's arm only to have Skylar hand the notebook back to Jake and tell Zoe to gather up her things. Beca shot Chloe a look but she was entirely focused on her older sister, a look of concern on her face.  
"Let's meet up at the beach in, say, two hours?"

* * *

Beca sat in the car watching Chloe who hadn't said anything other than goodbye to Skylar and Zoe since they left Taco Bell. After fifteen minutes though she'd had enough.  
"Chloe. Say something." Chloe stayed as quiet as Jake, her eyes firmly on the road.  
"Chloe! Either you pull over and tell me what the fuck just happened back there, or I'll take Jake and we'll figure this out on our own!" Chloe then abruptly turned into a nearby parking lot. Beca watched as Chloe undid her seatbelt and stepped out of the car and take deep breaths. She hadn't seen Chloe this undone since she had asked about her past. Chloe had later admitted that she thought her history would scare Beca off, and while learning that Chloe wasn't the trust fund girl she originally thought, it would take more than being an orphan to make her leave. There was more to it than that but Beca reasoned, without it, Chloe wouldn't be Chloe. She turned around to check on Jake. It was instinctual, the way she held out her hand to silently ask if he was ok. However, this was one of those rare moments when Jake initiated contact. He squeezed her hand in reassurance. Beca was still looking back at him, stunned, when Chloe started to get back in the car. "Skylar saw something in your brother's book. I don't know what. What it means is...what I _think_ it means is, that part of our past is going to come up again." Beca laid her hand on Chloe's arm. "You know I don't care about that." Chloe shook her hand off.

" _It has nothing to do with that!_ " Chloe ran a hand through her blond locks as Beca tried not to react to her outburst, although it had surprisingly stung to be shaken off like that. Chloe let out a deep breath and turned towards Beca, letting her see the tears that had begun to form in her eyes.  
"On the good side, Skylar knows who's coming after us. On the bad side, we probably just made Zoe a target too if they find us."

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heavier chapter

When they got to the beach, Beca spotted Skylar and Zoe flying kites on the beach. Jake ran over to where Zoe was, Skylar handing over her kite, and the two kids took turns making their kites do tricks. Beca watched as look pasted between Chloe and Skylar, the two changing places silently. At first, Beca had expected to feel jealous of the bond the two women shared. Which was why it surprised her when she felt reassurance. The amount of trust between the two, the history there, was almost palpable.

Skylar walked over to meet Beca at a picnic table next to the parking lot, only now did she notice the shoulder bag she was carrying.  
"What do you know about the 36?"  
Beca sighed, it wasn't the first time this had come up. "A couple years back, before I went to college, a Dr. Teller came by our house and said he thought Jake was one of these 36 gifted people that could lead to unlocking this super number sequence."

"What do you think?"  
Beca looked at Skylar. Instead of the look of someone who looked like they found a science breakthrough, Skylar just looked curious. Beca also reminded herself that Chloe trusted her, so she decided to just be honest.  
"I didn't really have a long time to think about it. My dad decided to reappear in my life at that point and demand that I go to college. Things got pretty hectic. I had to pack my stuff and make sure everything would be set for Jake when I left." Skylar gave her a questioning look. "I left my old ipod for Jake so we could do facetime at night. Or at least three or four times a week. But I don't know, I mean 36? Why wouldn't it be 11 or 42? Aren't those more fitting what with them being the number of dimensions or the answer to everything?" Skylar smirked and pulled out a bottled water, offering one to Beca. The wind blew and they both turned to see the kites soar and dive through the air. As Beca turned back, she spotted some markings behind Skylar's left ear that trailed down a ways down her neck.  
"Nice tattoo. I bet it hurt like a bitch when you got it. What's the design?" She watched as Skylar self consciously tucked her hair behind her ear.  
"It isn't a tattoo."  
Beca got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that this was the part of their past that Chloe had been referring to.  
"How much has Chloe told you about us?"  
"She said that you met when she was five, that you saw your Mom die, that you were taken somewhere when you were almost fourteen and came back when you were eighteen." Skylar still wouldn't meet her eyes, but Beca saw the sad smile that had been there for a moment.  
"There was a school, run by a now shut down Aster Corp subsidiary. It was for gifted children and I wanted to go, it had sounded fun." She gave shrug before heaving a deep broken sigh. "They tried to...modify...our minds for optimal results. As a result, you could say I don't connect to most people very well."

"So, you're like Jake. You're one of the 36."  
"No. My abilities in math is science are high, but more...technical. I like building things, creating, sure, but I can't see the patterns like Jake can. My skills are awesome but compared to Jake and Zoe, they're mediocre." "Zoe, your daughter." Beca saw Skylar nod before she turned to watch Zoe fly her kite for a moment. Then a thought occurred to her. "Chloe and Zoe." Beca couldn't stop the laughter that had started to bubble in her chest and Skylar joined in.  
"Despite what you're thinking, I wasn't thinking of Chloe at the time. Although, she is Zoe's Godmother." Beca saw something change on Skylar's face, and then did a double take, hoping she was wrong. Suddenly, she felt very nauseous.  
"Messing with your brain. That's not all they did is it? I mean you didn't-". Beca felt ashamed at how relieved she felt when Skylar cut her off so she didn't have to say it.  
"No. They had taken my eggs too. I didn't even know it until nine years ago when we rescued Jason from a facility of theirs in Iowa and we found Zoe there. We got her out too, but the car flipped and she needed blood. I donated, but Stark's equipment had analyzed our blood and determined that she was my daughter. All of a sudden I'm a mom of a two and a half year old." Skylar seemed to get lost in thought for a moment, which gave Beca's mind some time to catch up.  
"Why did they let you go?"  
"They fucked up whatever they were supposed to do. My mind was no longer any good to them. So at eighteen, they dropped me back in the middle of DC, broken. Jane and Chloe put me back together." A small sweet smile spread across Skylar's face. "Chloe would hold me, and cuddle with me when my nightmares would keep me from wanting to sleep. She promised to keep me safe. I'd be in the middle of a violent nightmare and all of a sudden I'd hear the Mario theme song being hummed or the Legend of Zelda. Doris Day, Bob Dylan, she'd invade somehow and the whole dream would change and I'd be okay again, and I'd be safe when I woke up too. She and Jane helped- well just Jane helped me raise Zoe. Chloe just doted on her like crazy. For her sixth birthday, Chloe took her to three museums in one day. You'd never seen two people so exhausted yet happy and eager to tell you all about their day." Beca couldn't help but roll her eyes, it sounded exactly like something Chloe would do. "So, you're not one of the 36 but Zoe is." Skylar nodded. "Do you know who they used as a donor?" Skylar shook her head no. "I'm don't really care to be honest. I mean, I would have adopted her even if we weren't genetically related. I love her. But to me, that's all he is, a donor." Skylar spent some time showing Beca some of Zoe's old notebooks, which looked a little similar to Jake's, except there were fewer numbers and more shapes and colors. Beca spotted Chloe and the kids coming back towards them as they started to pack up.

"So what now? I mean, we can't go back-"  
"You have to."  
"Go back to where the assassin lady knows we live" asked Chloe.  
"Yeah. The last thing you need is to give the real Child and Family Services people a reason to take Jake. If that happens, Aster Corp won't even have to fake an accident, they'll just place him in a setup foster home of theirs. But I understand you have guest houses in that housing complex?"  
"Um, yeah. Across the street."  
"Good, because Jason and Griffin are going to be staying there for added protection." As they reached the cars, Beca saw Jake smiling at whatever game the two of them were playing on their ipods against each other. Call in some more of the Lost Boys, call them all, call the Avengers, hell, call Captain Planet for all Beca cared as long as Jake stayed safe and happy, it was fine by her. The Lost Boys. Beca shook her head. God help her, she was starting to believe. To have survived everything Skylar had gone through and not be some broken shell of a person, there had to be some magic involved. Then there was Chloe. You couldn't tell her there wasn't _some_ pixie dust in that woman. Seeing the sparkle in Jake's eyes, she started the car for home as Chloe buckled herself in.

 


	13. Chapter 13

When Chloe and Beca got back home, a two men with red hair were sitting on the steps across the street, the younger of the two bouncing his knee in time to whatever what playing through his headphones. Chloe was exhausted, but let out a squeal at seeing two of her oldest friends. Jason gave Chloe a hug and released her, then Beca and Jake watched as Griffin simply incorporated Chloe into his dancing. Even though Chloe couldn't hear the music, it didn't seem to matter, the two of them switching from swing to a waltz. When the song ended, Griffin brought the dance to a close with the most graceful bow Beca had ever seen. He then turned towards her and Jake, "Griffin O'Connor, at your service."

"Beca. That's Jake." Chloe could tell Beca was barely standing at this point, the day having taken it's toll on her. Jason seemed to pick up on this and gave them a quick update. "Here's what's happening. Griff and I will stay the night but then we're off in different directions checking on some leads. Tomorrow, Landon and Samara will start staying here, and Jono might also come join them at some point. Since it's summer, some of the younger Lost Boys members can hang out with Jake while you go on with work and stuff."

Beca shifted on her feet. "I'm not so sure about this."  
"Look" interjected Griffin, "this way, to the state you're able to care for Jake while maintaining you're usual routine, and Jake makes new friends while being kept safe." Chloe simply looked on. Beca nodded and everyone went to their houses to turn in for the night.

* * *

Jake was tucked in for the night, and Beca and Chloe were just climbing into bed.  
"You wanted to say something. Before. In front of Griffin and Jason." Chloe sighed. She should have known that Beca would see that.  
"I trust them all with my life, but Jake's safety has to be your decision. Even though I trust them, it wouldn't feel right knowing that you're just blindly following whatever I tell you. Whether it's your instincts, your past experiences, or spidey senses, I feel better knowing that you chose to trust them because you wanted to." Beca nodded, taking that in. "What else?" Beca gave Chloe a questioning look as she turned off the light and snuggled back into Chloe's warmth. "I can read you too, you know."  
"It's nothing. I guess it's just I see the way you communicate with Skylar and sometimes it reminds me a lot of how I am with Jake. I used to think that made Jake and me unique, but knowing that we're not the only ones is actually...comforting." She knew Beca was waiting for a response of some sort, so she she hugged her around her waist to ask for a moment.  
"Skylar didn't just see her Mom die, she slipped in a pool of her blood when she was trying to get away. The blood had soaked through the front of her pjs and I helped her scrub the rest of it off and lent her a pair of mine when they dropped her at Gibbs house. They had brought me over thinking a friendly face would help and I wound up moving in for over a year. She didn't speak after that night for almost six months, so maybe that's why." The room was silent for a few moments.  
"That must have been very hard for you" Beca let out a sigh, "and I'm sure this isn't helping, if not making you relive it out right." Beca shifted to face Chloe, caressing her cheek, "You don't have to fix everything. I mean...being Jake's teacher is more than enough." Chloe blinked back tears. Beca kept surprising her, only concerned for Chloe's well being. As close as the Lost Boys were, it had taken a while for her to open up to anyone but Skylar and Jane. Once she had though, there was no group of people she'd ever been closer to until the Bellas. Now, she had Beca and Jake as family. It wasn't just that she was head over heels in love with Beca, it was that she really liked Jake. It wasn't that she thought he needed "help" but more socialization. Carefully done so as not to overwhelm him, but there was no reason Jake couldn't have a regular childhood despite his gifts.

 


	14. Chapter 14

The meeting with the real social worker had gone smoothly. Ms. Riggs even took the time to answer her father's concerns, once Chloe had asked her to "address his concerns to prevent any unnecessary stress on us." Ms. Riggs, thankfully, had no trouble reading between the lines and answered his questions and told him quite succinctly, when matters were none of his concern. Chloe had then introduced Beca and Jake to Samara and Landon, two of the Lost Boys who would look after Jake for the day until a party later that night. Jake's eyes had lit up a bit when Samara mentioned that the party had a 1940's theme.  
To look at them, at first glance the only thing Chloe, Samara, and Landon had in common were their blue eyes. Landon, of gypsy heritage according to Chloe, had black hair and a laid back look about him. Samara had blonde hair and an open friendliness that was similar to Chloe's. Jake seemed to like them well enough, that much was clear when Landon and Samara were debating what kind of hat he would need for the party, finally settling on a fedora. There was an edge to the two of them that didn't go unnoticed by Beca though. As they left on their "quest for the ultimate fedora" Beca noticed how Landon stepped out first, Jake following, Samara bringing up the rear, both scanning the area as they made their way. She also noticed that Chloe had been extra careful. Letting out a sigh, Beca slipped her hand into Chloe's.

* * *

Chloe had thought that after all the tense stress of the past few days, she and Beca could use a day to themselves. Having not made any specific plans, they found themselves back near the carnival they come to with Jake. Deciding to stay away from the crowds for a bit, they wandered down at the far end between the small beach playground and food vendors.  
"So, your friends seem nice enough but also like they are more than capable of taking care of themselves in a brawl. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you had something to do with making them more friendly" stated Beca as she sat down on one of the playground swings.  
"Not really. I used to be guarded too. Then, I was part of this... thing. It was like, finally having this group of people that I could trust let me feel safe in being me. I've always been hyper and outgoing, but with our foster parents, it would just get me in trouble for being too loud or something. At Gibbs's place, with Jane and Skylar, and later Aubrey, he'd get us into stuff like street hockey. Well, more like throw the stuff in the driveway and say 'have at it.'"  
"Aubrey."  
"Yup."  
"Aubrey _POSEN_ plays street hockey."  
Chloe couldn't help but laugh at the incredulity in Beca's voice. "Yes! She's very good! Dancing comes in handy, especially when when you fake left and then pivot right instead and pass to me. She used to pull that on Jason all the time." Chloe turned to see Beca had stopped swinging completely and was just blinking at her. She laughed out loud and simply kicked her legs, propelling her swing higher. "As for handling themselves in a fight, I think most people who played the games we did can. If you had said flag or touch football to us, we would have thought you were crazy. It was tackle or nothing."  
"Really, is that so? Because the last fight I saw you in, Fat Amy had both you and Aubrey in headlocks." Chloe frowned, remembering that incident. "She tackled us from behind. It also wasn't one of my proudest moments. I mean, it had been building for a while, and then you pointed out that my say hadn't mattered" she shook her head to keep Beca from interrupting. "I guess I just finally decided I was going to get my say no matter what, but I'm glad Amy kept us from killing each other. I kinda lost it for a second, and it could have gotten ugly." Beca hopped off her swing and Chloe followed her over to the swirly slide. There was something about just taking a few minutes to be a kid again that felt so freeing to Chloe and she loved that Beca not only didn't mind, but seemed to understand.  
"What other games did you guys play? Any of the ones that we do?"

"Well, we played kick the can but sometimes that became more like 'oh shit, what the hell is this under this porch!?' And well, as reigning champion, you can guess where I got so good at laser tag..." Beca shook her head. When they had finished moving into the housing complex, they had gone to the store to pick up the few missing odds and ends. There Chloe had come across a laser tag set. Having sneaked off and bought it along with the needed rechargeable batteries, Chloe had surprised Beca while she was unloading the car by thrusting the vest over her head and then firing directly at her. With an enraged battle cry, Beca and Chloe had then spent the next two hour engaged in an epic laser tag battle, probably to the displeasure to their new neighbors, but they couldn't care less. Beca couldn't believe Chloe had cleared the hedge to score that winning shot...

One of the things that Beca loved about their relationship was their dates. The laser tag night was one best dates Beca had ever had, even if it had been spur of the moment. The night had ended with a simple pizza, a shared shower, and other shared activities.  
Chloe had never been bothered by the fact that Beca didn't like movies and wasn't the biggest fan of fancy dinners. Jesse had scoffed when Beca had told him that Chloe was taking her to a photography exhibit, but she had actually enjoyed herself listening to Chloe explain what she thought the photos were so powerful. She had had her doubts at first, but photography was one of the few things, other than singing that Chloe was really passionate about. Chloe had explained that some photographs captured everything. Chloe had taken two memory cards full of photos since they had brought Jake home. In the few shots she'd managed to glance at, Chloe's photos convey both family and a sense of home. Jake looked as if he'd always been there, making the other photos around the house seem empty somehow. Beca was brought out of her thoughts when Chloe swiped a mustard covered hotdog under her nose, leaving a spot on the tip. "Hey!"

"Thinking deep thoughts?"  
"Just how my life is better with you in it. And how I wouldn't have said anything remotely that sappy before I met you" added Beca as she wiped her nose, also trying to hide the blush spreading across her face. "Why what were you thinking about?"  
"My costume for tonight and how I need a panda."  
"How exactly does a panda work with your costume?"  
"It doesn't. I just need one." Chloe was surveying the carnival games as they walked, looking for one with panda prizes.  
"Well, let's get to it" said Beca as she threw away their trash. "On the plus side, this will be easier than the time you needed a hippo."

 


	15. Chapter 15

It was mid afternoon by the time Beca and Chloe made it to the area where Benji did his magic show. The small show was over and Benji was petting his rabbit, Knackered, while Jessica sat beside him sketching. Jessica had surprised them all by being a very talented artist and had become an art teacher at a local elementary school.

Beca went and sat next to her as she watched Jake with Landon and Samara while Chloe went to scratch behind Knackered's ears. Landon was over in front of Jake, his knees bent at odd angles as he juggled three oranges in the air.  
"Can he do it? Can he- OH! NO! He can't!" As the oranges fell, Landon collapsed onto his knees, making an exaggerated sad face as his arms slumped to his sides. Samara and the others laughed but Beca didn't hear anything over the small chuckle that Jake let loose. Beca couldn't believe how many years had been wasted trying to "accommodate" Jake's needs. Jake had figured out what he'd needed on his own, but now after ten years, he was finally being a kid. What had Chloe said? Once she felt safe, she felt okay with expressing

herself completely? Maybe that's what was going on now.

Samara had handed over two shopping bags before walking back to the guest house. Beca had tried to pay for Jake's new clothes but both Landon and Samara had declined, stating that they always knew where to find the best deals and that the bulk of it was "on the house" courtesy of Stacie and Fat Amy.

At the moment Jake was fiddling on Beca's old ipad. Beca and Chloe made their way down the hall towards the living room where they could hear music playing:

_But please come down from that cloud you're sitting on I don't expect you to admit that you were wrong_

_I just want to know how you've been_   
_It don't make me feel bad that we're still friends_   
_Mulling it all over in my head_   
_I hope that you see through your picket_   
_I hope that you see through your big yard and white picket fence To make amends_   
_And still be friends, still be friends_

_Still be my friend_

After the song stopped playing, Chloe noticed a program open in the background.  
"Hey, what's that Jake? It has Beca and Jesse's numbers in it." As Beca started to lean over to get a better look, her cell began to ring.  
"It's Jesse" she announce, shooting a pointed look at Jake, who kept his gaze on the ipad.  
"Hey. Yeah, well, you know me. I suck with words and stuff so thank God for lyrics. Yeah, it's all officially approved. Whatever. Look, to celebrate we're all having a party at Fat Amy's. It's a 1940's theme, and we'd love it if you could make it. Actually, it's Jake who made me call, so yeah, it's okay with him too." Chloe was failing to smoother her giggles in one of the throw pillows as a smirk appeared on Jake's face. "Great. We'll see you there." Beca then turned and sat down next to Jake. "Well played sir, well played."

After dinner, Chloe thought it would be a good idea for them all to get dressed in their clothes for the party. Chloe dressed in a beautiful dark blue gown that brought out her eyes while Beca went with an emerald dress that fit her perfectly. Chloe knew Beca was a bit nervous still about having so much attention on Jake, that he wasn't quite used to it yet, but at the moment her thoughts were on how hot Beca looked in her dress. Jake emerged from his room at that moment in a custom tailored dark grey three piece suit and blue tie. Beca had to hand to Fat Amy, the lady could do wonders with scissors and thread. Chloe squealed and raced off for the camera, getting shots of Jake and shots of him with Beca. When he doorbell rang, Beca went to let Landon and Samara in. Landon was dressed similarly to Jake, except his suit was black and accented with a red tie, and Samara was wearing a silver party dress, making the pair look quite striking. After taking a few shots of them, Chloe handed over the camera to Samara, to get a few pictures of her with Beca and Jake before they left.

The party was the most fun Beca seen Jake have yet. Seeing as how there was no alcohol, Fat Amy had decided to go all out on the game front, choosing board games over video games. Having invited any Trebles in the area as well, there were more than enough people to keep each game going. Fat Amy's place itself was pretty small, but had a large patio with a hot tub on the side. Scattered around the patio were lounges and chairs with small tables. Along the sides were two long tables, one with small sandwiches and other things to eat, the other with two punch bowls and bottles of sparkling cider. Through out the night, Beca rotated through the games, the stress of the past week melting away. Every once and a while, she'd catch sight of Chloe with Landon and Samara, seeing her so at ease with both old and new friends. At one point, Denise had convinced Beca and Jake to mix together, earning cheers from everyone. Cynthia Rose and Lilly had made Apples to Apples even more hilarious than usual. Fat Amy had traumatized a few Trebles in multiple games of Twister. Ashley, Jesse, and Samara were in an intense game of Scrabble at one point. Beca had thanked Fat Amy at one point while she was watching Jake smirk at Jessica while she looked up the word he had just played in Scrabble. "Yeah, well, thank Chloe and her sister Skylar too. They suggested games without dice and numbers. That way Jake doesn't feel like he has to let people win, and actually has a challenge." Beca turned and caught Chloe's eye, a warm smile spreading across her face as Chloe winked back at her. "Careful, DJ. You're gonna get your gooey lovin' feelings all over my house."

The night wound down with a few games of Pictionary. At the moment Landon was at the board, all the pictures having been documented by Stacie's iphone. So far, he had drawn a building, a hat, a cassette tape, and a coat that had squiggly lines and flies coming from it.  
"Does that say something?"

"Wha? It's Pictionary! That's a squiggle. Donald, it's not a Magic Eye!" Jessica was watching the timer run out- thirty, twenty-nine... Suddenly, Stacie bolted up in her seat. "Macklemore THRIFT SHOP!"  
"YES! Thank you!"  
Cynthia Rose's team won the game over all when Jessica drew a wrench, a plus sign, a washing machine, and two light bulbs crossed out for Florence and the Machine's No Light, No Light. It was also decided that song Pictionary had to have pre approved cards or no one would ever win.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is Mr. Pitiful by Matt Costa


	16. Chapter 16

Jesse wasn't sure what it was, but he knew something was up. Beca had come into work as usual, and normally it would be like just any other day but this morning she seemed to be just going through the motions. He heard from Benji that Chloe was introducing Jake to some of the other students in her class by inviting them all to a picnic at the beach. Wrangling six or more kids under the age of fourteen didn't sound all that fun to him, but he figured Chloe would manage with her usual flair and with the help of her two old friends. In any case, Jake was with Chloe, so Beca should have nothing to worry about, right? He was hesitant to bring it up much less suggest he had been right because although his Ray Bans were stylish, the way they rested on his face still hurt due to the swelling of his nose.

When it was time for her last break before lunch, Jesse couldn't hold back any longer as he saw her zone out again, this time holding her soda half way to her mouth.  
"Hey Beca?" He winced as she jerked and spilled some of her drink on the papers in front of her. "You okay? You seem really out of it today."

"Yeah, I know. I just have a meeting with Chloe's sister Skylar at lunch about some stuff she found concerning Jake."  
Jesse took a deep breath as made his way over to sit across from Beca. He had gotten used to being the person Beca relied on. Even after she had gotten together with Chloe and they had all patched things up, he

was still her sounding board most of the time. For the brief time they had been dating, it had always felt like he was an "add on". As if Beca simply added him to her schedule if there was time, but the Bellas, her mixes, and he suspected Skype time with Chloe always came before him. Now that they were just friends again, he had hoped things would go back to normal but that didn't seem to be happening. Jesse loved Benji like a brother, but it burned a little that Beca trusted Benji more with details regarding what was going on. "Concerning Jake how?"

Beca turned back to the papers on her desk, already starting to push him away again. "It's nothing you have to worry about Jesse. I've got it."  
Jesse ran a hand through his hair. "Geez, Beca! You're doing it _again_!"  
"Doing what?"

"How am I supposed to help if I have no idea what's going on? A few days ago, you were a mess because you were so worried!"  
"Because of a situation _you_ caused! You really want to help? Then stay out of it! The part I need help with is here at the studio, not in my personal life!"

"No, that and your brother you're willing to share with strangers!"  
"Back off Jesse. They're strangers to you. Now drop it, since you have no idea what you're talking about." At that moment a knock came from the doorway. Jesse got up to leave only to be met with an outstretched hand from the visitor.

"Skylar Adams".  
"Jesse Swanson".  
"Well, at least we're not strangers anymore". Jesse's face turned a faint red before he made his way out, shutting the door behind him. Skylar sat in Jesse's vacated seat as Beca sat hiding her face in her hands. "How much of that did you hear?"  
"I came in around the 'strangers' comment. Don't worry about it." Beca groaned anyway. The last thing she needed was her Jesse situation crazy and Jake situation chaos merging anymore than they already had. Beca sighed before leaving the refuge of her hands. "His heart's in the right place but his head's up his ass." Skylar gave her a knowing smirk before pulling a tablet out of her shoulder bag. As she pulled something up, Beca took in her appearance. Skylar was dressed in jeans and a dark blue and orange patterned top, her hair pulled into a messy bun. Despite her apparent effortless style, Beca noticed the bags under her eyes and the way her face seemed drawn, making her wonder if Skylar had slept since she had last seen her. "Well, first off I want to get one thing straight." Skylar merely lifted an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair. "I've heard Chloe call you both Skylar and Fidget. What am I supposed to call you?" Skylar rolled her eyes. "Fidget. Most people call me Fidget. Skylar is reserved for acquaintances and when I'm in trouble." She then set the tablet between them on the desk. "So, I traced back Dr. Teller. It looks like he died a year ago under suspicious circumstances. He started the Teller Institute which focused on studying people with gifts like Jake's." Fidget then shifted to a different screen. "His Institute was then purchased by some small company. Now the ownership changes hands a bit but it all traces back multiple times to two companies: Dyad Institute, but even more hits on Aster Corps. There's not a lot except the basic PR on how they're cutting edge in their field." Beca skimmed over some part of the website on the tablet. "It all sounds amazing."  
"And very vague when it comes to details."  
Beca ran a hand through her hair. "But this is genetics, neurology, virology. What does this have to do with Jake?"  
"All of those are very complex fields. There are over three billion base pairs in a person's twenty three chromosomes. Too many for any scientist or group to go through but with Jake's gift, they could isolate a small group or even a specific pair." At this point Jesse returned to the office to tell Beca that the radio station was doing a promotional thing at the Santa Monica pier, and wanted a call back by two if she would Dj for them there. Fidget had waved her hand over the tablet, shifting it to a empty screen when he came in. Neither woman missed how his eyes darted towards the screen. "Next time just let Benji take the message or let them leave it on my phone." Jesse stood in the doorway, glaring at Beca and refusing to leave. Fidget took in his stance and shrugged before turning back towards Beca.

"So, is he going to be an obstacle?"  
"Who knows. I don't care." Out of the corner of her eye, Beca saw him stiffen. "I'm worried about you and Zoe though. I don't want to put two in danger." Fidget shrugged. "I've always moved around, Chloe will tell you that much. But since finding Zoe, it's been more like living on the run. They would have caught up with us eventually. At least this time we'll be ready." Fidget grabbed her tablet and bag and got up from her chair. "Anything else?"  
"Yeah, two things. Where'd you get that tablet?" Fidget chuckled a looked down towards her shoes. "I made it. The motion sensitive and gesture controls are all special modifications for this one. What's the other thing?"  
"Get some sleep or I'll tell Chloe." The two shared a grin, knowing Chloe's antics. Fidget turned towards Jesse before she left. "The less you know the better." Jesse started to turn to retort, but stopped mid-pivot at the look of absolute seriousness on Beca's face.

 


	17. Chapter 17

Stacie was fixing the shop's window display when she noticed a woman with a navy and orange top walking by. Initially, the top had drawn her interest but now it was the guy in the windbreaker following her.

"What's up manager?"  
" _Jesus_ , Amy! You scared the shit out of me!"

"Yeah? Well, what's got you so focused you don't hear me coming?"  
"That woman. I think that guy is following her."  
At that moment the man made a grab for her bag, using it to pull her towards him. Spinning around, the woman grabbed his wrist, pressed it, and twisted it, making the man release her and fall to his knees. A knee to his chest followed by a sharp elbow to the side of his head had him out cold.  
"Lara Croft has moves!" remarked Amy as the two looked on. But it seemed the man hadn't been working alone, as three more men rapidly approached the woman in an ambush. Stacie had whipped out her cell but before she could dial, the woman pulled out what looked like a necklace of some sort and thrown it towards the men baring down on her. There was a bright blue flash, and then the men simply crumpled mid-stride as the woman took off. Stacie had whipped out her cell at the sight of more attackers but hadn't been able to dial before the necklace thing appeared. Now she wasn't sure how she'd even explain it if the cops asked her about it.  
"C'mon Stace. We better not be here when the goons wake up. Help me close up, fast." They closed up shop in five minutes, the commotion having gotten rid of the foot traffic around the area.

* * *

Stacie and Fat Amy then made their way over to the beach where they knew Chloe was having her picnic with her students.  
"We figured we should let you know of any men in black sightings. Well, men in Tommy Bahama, even if they aren't connected" finish Stacie. She then handed over the necklace that she had picked up as she and Amy had left. Chloe turned the object over in her hands several times before handing over to a guy she had introduced as Jono.

"It is connected. The woman you saw was Skylar. She's like my older sister." Jono scooted forward on the towel with the necklace between his hands. "It's like a compact stunner. These-" he pointed to the small rectangular boxes connected by a fine chain of small wires, "each emit a small charge, together creating the large one you saw. It looks like it's solar powered so they'd be constantly gaining and holding charge until needed."

"Straight up sci fi is what ya holding there" commented Amy and Stacie couldn't help but agree.  
"Should we try to call her and see if she's okay?"

Chloe shook her head. "Skylar's always been capable of taking care of herself. She'll contact us when it's safe. For now... I guess we just take advantage of this beach day, since it looks like it's the last break we're going to get for a while.  
"In that case-" said Fat Amy as she got up, "I'm totally putting on my mermaid suit."

* * *

Chloe watched as Fat Amy entertained Jake and the others with her mermaid dancing and other mermaid talents, (which included Fat Amy's rendition of Under the Sea). Jono, Landon, and Samara were helping build what looked to be a sand castle complete with battlements, gardens, and stables. Despite everything though, she could not keep her mind off everything Fat Amy and Stacie had told her. Skylar had been found. She knew Skylar would get away, she always had another trick up her sleeve and her only rule when it came to fighting was that anything could be used as a weapon. But, Chloe couldn't shake the feeling that in coming to her, she'd led Aster Corp right to her and Zoe. _Was that what they had wanted? Had they seen Beca's connection to Chloe and then hers to Skylar and simply anticipated that Chloe would go to her for help? Could someone foresee that?_ There had been a time where Chloe would have said the idea was ridiculous. At the moment though, two children that could were sitting five feet away from her, using sand to turn Stacie's lower half into a mermaid tail.

 


	18. Chapter 18

By the time Beca got home and Chloe had explained everything, there still hadn't been any word from Skylar. Chloe had brought Zoe back with them and given Jane a call to let her know what was going on. Zoe had then talked for a while, telling Jane all about her new friend Jake and pouting a bit at how he was better at thinking ahead when they played chess and then smirking at him when she pointed out she was better at it when they played Scrabble.

Afterwards, Chloe had pulled Beca towards the dining room where she explained her theory about Aster Corp. "I mean there are 36 of them right? And they're after Jake and Zoe, whose to say they haven't captured others? Or have them working for them?"  
Beca sat in silence, gazing at Jake and Zoe as they played chess. She didn't know what to think anymore. Things were happening that cops wouldn't believe. Even reporting such a conspiracy theory would probably be enough for the real Child Services to declare her unfit and take Jake from her, placing him right into Aster Corp's hands. When Beca finally turned her gaze towards Chloe, she saw that her girlfriend was all but shaking with worry.  
Chloe was chewing on her bottom lip as she watched the tempest of thoughts swirling in Beca's dark blue eyes.  
"If Skylar hadn't just been attacked, I would take Jake and run-". Chloe let a small gasp escape as she grabbed Beca's hand. "The thing is, so far, aside from the fact that I love you and leaving you would devastate me, you've been the only one really keeping us safe. Not only that, you've brought Jake out of his shell to the point where he's able to be more of a normal kid. I don't know if it was us keeping him too sheltered and afraid to or if it was something he needed to do on his own, but either way you knew what he needed."  
Chloe squeezed her hand and she leaned over to rest her head on Chloe's shoulder. "But you still feel like you want to run" stated Chloe. She felt Beca sigh and nod into her shoulder. "I can't help but feel guilty. It's my fault Skylar and Zoe are now in danger, and it might not even end there. Your family is involved and so are the Bellas!" Beca's voice had gotten louder as she got more worked up so when she looked over towards Jake, she was met with his concerned gaze. Giving him a shaky smile, she ran a hand through her hair and turned back towards Chloe.

Chloe enveloped her in a hug and kissed the side of her head. "Well, at the moment, Jake and Zoe couldn't be safer and we know exactly where they are. Should someone burst through the door like this was a Steven Sagal movie, they couldn't do so without getting the attention of the three people across the the street we have as back up."

"The fact that our back up is a trio only a few years younger than us isn't very reassuring." Chloe nudged her gently.  
"Hush. You're bringing down my comforting pep talk."

* * *

Zoe had spent the night and around lunch the next day Jake, Zoe, and Chloe headed down to the pier to see Beca's live set for the radio station. Chloe led them over to where they saw Jesse and Benji managing the equipment while Beca prepared for her next set. Spotting Jake, Jesse went to nudge his shoulder only to have him flinch back before Jesse could touch him. Jesse plastered on his best goofy smile, and act as if nothing had happened as he watched Benji notice their arrival, wave, and get a smile back. He turned towards Chloe. "Who's the adorable girl holding his hand?"

"That's Zoe, Skylar's daughter, and from the looks of it Jake's new best friend." Chloe was a bit surprised to learn that the two were holding hands, but she didn't miss the look that quickly flickered on his face. Chloe didn't even know he knew who Zoe was so she wasn't sure what to make of his reaction. Benji let out an exasperated sigh, which got Jesse shooting him a look over his shoulder. As a silent conversation passed between the two, Chloe decided to leave Jesse and his mood in Benji's capable hands.

* * *

Jake got a VIP seat next to Beca while she played a few of her sets while Chloe danced with Zoe in the crowd. On one of the breaks, Chloe took the two kids to get something to eat. Chloe faintly heard an announcement being made over the speakers for some sort of giveaway as she took a sip of her soda, her burger in her other hand. Suddenly, there were lots of people rushing past her. She dropped her food immediately and grabbed for Jake and Zoe, only managing to get a fistful of Jake's shirt. Praying to whoever was listening that Jake was holding Zoe's hand, Chloe gave a hard yank and brought them both closer to her. Her relief was short lived though as a man in a windbreaker shoved her hard back into the vendor cart, her side catching the shelf and making her lose her grip. She saw Beca, stuck at her booth by the crowd, call out to her as Benji and Jessie did their best to get to her. The next thing she felt was pain. She couldn't tell from where exactly, it was coming from too many places. She did her best to defend herself, getting a few blows in, but they had caught her when she was already down. Suddenly, Landon was there pulling one of them off. Then there was Jessica, spraying one with mace. The men took off with Landon giving chase. Ashley and Denise helped Chloe up as the other Bellas and Benji and Jesse kept the crowds from trampling them. Denise took a look at Chloe's wounds. A few cuts a scrapes that didn't look to bad, but it was the wicked bruise that forming on Chloe's upper back, and her split lip and possible concussion that worried her.

Something else entirely was worrying Chloe.

" _Where's Jake and Zoe?_ "

 


	19. Chapter 19

The moment Jake had felt Chloe's hold give, Zoe had yanked him farther into the crowd. He had managed to slip a paper in his sisters pocket with the numbers 2994 while she was setting up and had to trust that she'd know what to do when the time came. For now, he put his trust in Zoe. They wove through the crowd, ducking attractions and in between vendors trying to shake anyone following them. When they reached the half-moon ride, they hid beneath it in the small area marked employees only. Standing on a small bench, they

held the door shut while peeking out a small crack. As they watched, a tall lean man with blue eye and greying hair entered, making them tighten their grip on the door. Seconds later though, he was tackled from behind by Samara. His elbow missed what would have been a painful blow to her face as he tried to get up. Samara easily dodged and delivered a knee to his crotch that had him back on the ground again. As she detangled herself from him, she stomped hard on his right hand. As she lifted her leg back though, he used the crook of his right arm to catch her behind the knee and yank her off balance. Just her luck, this guy was left handed. She saw him start to pull a gun and grabbed a heavy wrench from the scattered tools nearby and struck him on the side of his head. The man went down hard, and Jake and Zoe emerged from their hiding spot.  
"Is he dead?" asked Zoe as she and Jake stood staring at the fallen man.  
"No, head wounds just bleed like a stink-" Jake gave her a curious look at the comment. "It just means that like a bad smell goes everywhere, so does blood from head wounds. It just looks worse than it is. He'll be fine. He's breathing, see?" At that moment two more men came in, one grabbing the wrench from Samara's lose grip and swinging it against the back of her head. The other grabbed Zoe and Jake.  
"She's right about head wounds. She'll have one helluva headache, but she'll live" stated one of the new goons as he hefted Jake into a waiting SUV.

While Benji explained to the radio station why Beca had taken off, Beca made her way to Chloe.  
"Chloe! What happened? Oh God are you okay? Where's Jake?" Beca took a quick look around her, "Has anyone seen Zoe?"  
Chloe was trying to keep up. If she closed her eyes, she could get everything to stop spinning but the pounding in her head continued. Jono offered Chloe a snow cone to help with the pain in her head. Beca held Chloe close as she recounted what had happened. Beca reassured Chloe that she didn't blame her, but at the moment that didn't matter since Chloe was blaming herself enough for both of them. The group had moved towards where they had all parked, and were waiting for Benji, Jesse, and Landon to return.  
Beca couldn't stop the thousands of thoughts going through her head.  
Where was Jake? Was Zoe with him? Were they safe? Would they be able to find them before someone else did? Beca was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of Benji and Jesse coming back. Jono had already helped Benji pack up her gear and stow it in her car.  
"The radio station totally understands that you had a family emergency, and since you only had about fifteen minutes left anyway, Jono came up with the idea of just leaving a CD of some of your sample mixes."  
"This way your spot is covered and they know nothing about Jake. As far as they know, you're just concerned for Chloe. Which we are" added Jono hastily.  
"So, now what?" asked Jessica.  
"Now, we hope that Zoe and Jake are safe and are being led back by Samara" stated Beca.  
"That's if Zoe didn't lead them to Jake" mumbled Jesse, just loud enough to be heard.  
"You know what Jesse? Shut the fuck-"  
"No way Beca! I heard you that day with Skylar and putting you in danger. And like usual you brushed me off! Well look where it got you! Trusting someone you know nothing about and surprise! Jake's gone!"  
Given how badly injured Chloe had been, Jesse hadn't seen it coming. In an instant, Chloe was on her feet and shoved him hard into the SUV parked behind him where he knocked his head against the window with a hollow thunk. Just as quickly, Chloe regretted her actions given how dizzy she suddenly felt. Luckily, Beca held her steady from behind.  
"Don't you dare try to put this on my sister." The look in Chloe's eye's was absolutely deadly.  
"Since you were so eager to butt in on my meeting with Skylar, I'm surprised you didn't get the details right. Actually, no. Check that, I'm not surprised since this gives you a chance to say 'I was right'. Well I hate to burst your superior bubble, but what I had said was that I felt I was putting Skylar and Zoe in danger!" Benji inserted himself between the two just as Landon returned with Samara leaning on him for support.  
"They took them-" started Landon, only to be interrupted by strangled sobs from both Beca and Chloe. "-but I managed to lift one of their cell phones in the tussle. And on the way back here I got a call from Skylar. She's in bad shape, but she says she can help us find them."

 


	20. Chapter 20

While Jessica and Denise took Samara home, Jono and Landon took Beca, Chloe, and Jesse to Fidget's place. Jesse was being his usual stubborn self, and Beca was simply too tired to deal with him anymore. She figured if he became a problem again, she'd just let the guys deal with it. Chloe was leaning into her for support as they made their way into the warehouse loft apartment. From the outside, it looked like an old industrial building of some sort.

"What a dump" commented Jesse as they made their way to the heavy side door.  
"Yeah, because when you're in hiding it's better to be in a place that can be tracked down by who's paying for the utilities" shot back Landon. They made it up the elevator and to the front door without much more conversation, but Beca could practically feel Jesse's displeasure radiating from him. She forgot all about him though the moment they went inside the loft apartment. Beca faintly heard Chloe call out to her sister, who replied from the back, but was too taken in by her surroundings. It was clear that Skylar loved her daughter very much. Nearly every surface was covered in some sort of tracking or surveillance device but sprinkled in between were signs of Zoe. Papers covered in formulas with smiley faces, geometric mandalas, a sock monkey draped over a chair. Beca's smile disappeared though when she heard Chloe gasp. Sitting on a futon against the back wall was Fidget, fiddling with a something that looked a little larger than a portable cd player. The black tank top that she was wearing showed a large dark bruise on her left shoulder that looked like it went on down her back, and a gash of some sort on her left fore arm that was seeping through it's bandage. Landon tossed Fidget the cell phone he had snagged while Jono pulled a laptop from a nearby table. "The phone's screen is smashed! How is that going to help anything?" asked Jesse.  
"Just because your DVD player is broken, it doesn't mean the disc won't work..." commented Fidget as she opened the cell and hooked up it's insides to a spliced cable that fed into the computer.  
"How did you-" stuttered a shocked Jesse.  
Beca grinned as Fidget rolled her eyes,"Over analyze my analogy later." Landon and Chloe had moved behind Fidget as she worked on the computer. "As expected, most of the data is useless-"  
"I still say we call the police" interjected Jesse. As much as Jesse had been irritating Beca, he was getting on Landon's last nerve. Jesse took a few steps back as Landon made his way over while Chloe and Beca watched.  
"You like movies right? You ever see _Conspiracy Theory_?" asked Landon calmly.  
Jesse nodded,"With Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts."  
"Yeah well, if you call the cops, you either get thrown out of the station or held for 72 hour observation to see if you're crazy. Let me ask you though, how'd you like the torture scene? You know, when the bad guys caught up with Mel Gibson?" Jesse swallowed. "And then there's the ending. Where he had to fake his death to be safe. We're careful so that's never been an issue before but if you go to the cops, who knows what Aster Corp will do? How would we explain the kidnapping to Child Services, who you so thoughtfully got involved?" Jesse sank down onto the chair behind him, the full damage of his actions having just been realized. "Right. No cops" he agreed as he set his cell on the table.  
"As I was saying..." continued Fidget, "We still have the cell's call log. So, we now have three numbers we can use."  
"Wouldn't they be encrypted though?" asked Chloe. Jono nodded. "They would be if we weren't drawing them directly through a phone that they've accepted calls from before."  
"So now we can track... Okay it looks like we can only track two of the cells. The third is probably a higher up covering his tracks. We'll see if we can deal with that later, right now, our focus is Jake and Zoe" explained Fidget as her fingers flew across the keyboard. Landon had moved behind her again and watched as she narrowed in on a location.  
"Looks like a utility shed off the highway. My guess is that's where they're holding the kids for now. Since Samara gave one a concussion, there are probably only two guys. But we'd better go before they move them"

commented Landon as he tossed a set of keys to Jono. As Jesse followed the guys, Chloe shot Fidget a look. "I'm fine-" Fidget held up her hand as Chloe was about to interrupt. "It's nothing I can't handle until we get the kids back. Then I promise you can duct tape me to a bed until I'm healed if it'll make you feel better." She couldn't hide her grimace as she pulled on her jacket on. She then gave Beca's shoulder a comforting squeeze as she closed the door behind them.

They arrived at the utility shed in three different cars. As they were coming to the turn off, a black SUV pulled out fast, forcing Jono to swerve to the side. Beca watched, tears beginning to form in her eyes as the SUV started speed away. But then an electrical blue pulse ring flashed around the vehicle and then it came to a stop. Beca heard Chloe whisper, "Fidget's Wasps! The device she was working on when we came in! She must have modified them to send out an EMP!" but was too focused on bring her car to a stop as she watched Landon and Jono rush forward with crowbars. The guys managed to pry open the trunk and pull Jake out. What they hadn't anticipated was one of the bad guys shooting the door locks on the passenger door and pulling Zoe out with him, followed by his partner. Landon fought with the partner while Jono tried to get Jake to Beca's car. Things happened almost faster than Beca and Chloe process. As Jono tried to wrestle the gun away and free Zoe, he was punched in the jaw and then struck in the face with the butt of the gun. Jesse quickly got out of the car with the gun now pointed at his head. The minute he was out, Zoe was thrust into the back and with his arm now free, he threw Jesse back a good five feet. Pulling a taser, he aimed at Jake, only to have his shot blocked by Fidget getting in the way. Tossing the taser, he called to his partner who tossed Landon into Chloe as she was rushing forward to help. The two men then piled into the car and sped off. As the others got up and brushed themselves off, Beca made it Jake's side. He was rocking in fetal position and as she tried to reassure him that he was safe, she heard him say something for the very first time. "We have to find Zoe."

Beca stared at him in shock. She was brought out of it though at the sound of Chloe's gasp. Both Beca and Jake turned to see Chloe run and collapse at Fidget's side.  
"Fidge? Fidget? Come on wake up. Damn it! Skylar! Get UP!" Beca watched helplessly as tears poured down Chloe's face. The taser's two prongs were lodged in Fidget's neck and she wasn't moving.

 


End file.
